Smithville Lake Crappie Public Meeting

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07-18-2018, 12:22 PM
Eric Dennis

Smithville Lake Crappie Public Meeting

Smithville Lake Anglers,

MDC will be hosting a public meeting to discuss the Proposed Crappie Regulation Change at Smithville Lake. We will have a short presentation on the current crappie population and discuss how we plan to manage the crappie population in the future. We will be gathering public input and will be available to answer any questions or concerns regarding the new regulation. I look forward to meeting many of you at the Public Meeting. Please feel free to call me if you have any questions.

Sincerely

Eric Dennis
Fisheries Management Biologist
Missouri Department of Conservation
816-271-3100 ext. 1433

Meeting Date and Time

Aug. 28th 6:00-8:00 pm

Jerry Litton Visitor Center
16399 N Mt Olivet Rd
Smithville, MO 64089
07-19-2018, 08:44 AM
Joedog

Thanks, Eric...got it added to the calendar.
07-19-2018, 10:20 AM
Clownfish

Definitely plan on attending, Thanks Eric.
08-01-2018, 07:13 PM
wolfhnd

What happened?
08-01-2018, 08:14 PM
got crappie

Nothing it said Aug 28
08-06-2018, 02:11 PM
spoofhound

i think they are going to discuss a proposed limit and length change.
08-06-2018, 03:20 PM
Clownfish

Maybe they figured out a way to replace all the 8" crappie with some bigger ones. :Rofl Didn't get many keepers in July, but got a ton of shorts.
08-07-2018, 04:04 PM
spoofhound

the proposed regulation change is to go from 15 fish daily creel to 30 fish daily creel but may include not more than 15 fish more than 9" in length.
08-08-2018, 06:03 PM
wolfhnd

I would be happier with keeping the 15 total with no more than 10 over 9". I don't usually keep more than 6 as there is only the wife and myself and what is the point of freezing fresh fish.

Back when fishing pressure wasn't a factor and there was no creel limit I would occasionally keep 60 but those days ended in the mid 80s.

I never fished Smithville much when I was fishing regularly. Truman, Melvern, Clinton, and a few other lakes all had better Crappie fishing. Smithville was just slightly better than Jacomo. Urban lakes have to be treated differently than the large reservoirs. I go to Smithville now only because I don't like to drive anywhere I will be out all day and driving at night. Old eyes don't do well at night. I can live with a lower quality fishing experience at urban lakes in exchange for convenience and comfort.
08-27-2018, 01:05 PM
Eric Dennis

1 Attachment(s)

Friendly Reminder! Hope to see a few of you there Tues night
08-28-2018, 06:42 PM
ridealong

I had planned on attending but instead got to work late. Hope for some good feedback from people who where there
08-29-2018, 10:59 AM
Clownfish

Quote:

Originally Posted by spoofhound

the proposed regulation change is to go from 15 fish daily creel to 30 fish daily creel but may include not more than 15 fish more than 9" in length.

Yep, you are exactly right, the reg is going thru the approval process now and they said probably change around March. The reason given for the change is that 70% of the crappie population are blacks and are stunted, many are dieing of old age due to not being harvested, if it makes fishing better I'm all for it. The change would not bother me, you can still go for your 15 and/or take a few shorts home if you want. Thanks Eric, it was a good meeting and I learned a few things and appreciate the work you guys are doing on the lake.
08-30-2018, 02:42 PM
keeferfish

Joedog finally has a chance for a limit.
08-30-2018, 05:27 PM
wolfhnd

Kind of depressing to find out the lake has stunted fish, was hoping the problem was fishing pressure.
08-30-2018, 05:38 PM
Clownfish

Quote:

Originally Posted by keeferfish

Joedog finally has a chance for a limit.

So your saying there's a chance......
08-31-2018, 10:42 AM
Joedog

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfhnd

Kind of depressing to find out the lake has stunted fish, was hoping the problem was fishing pressure.

Didn't take a meeting to learn the lake has stunted fish. Just go fish it! Hell, JackB has been saying that for YEARS!!

75% of the crappie (black and white combined) are illegal fish.
08-31-2018, 10:45 AM
Joedog

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clownfish

Quote:

Originally Posted by keeferfish

Joedog finally has a chance for a limit.

So your saying there's a chance......

No mo' nojoe!

But let's face it fellas....it will be a miracle for me to catch 15 regardless of size!! :Rofl
08-31-2018, 12:32 PM
wolfhnd

First year after the reg change half of the eight inchers will be gone, should be interesting.

Did they say anything about the shad population? The whites shouldn't be as stunted if the problem is vegetation and insects.
08-31-2018, 02:56 PM
MOfishmgr

The white crappie are growing well. They reach 9+" in 3 years. The black crappie die out at 8 or 9 years of age with only 2% ever reaching 9".
09-02-2018, 11:55 AM
wolfhnd

I read a research paper on the extreme draw down of Red Willow lake in Nebraska for repairs. The impact on the health of the lake being reduced by 76 percent was surprisingly small. I assume the relatively small reduction in Smithville's pool this summer will have a minimum impact on fish?
09-05-2018, 10:55 AM
MOfishmgr

A 3 foot water level drop in Smithville this year won't have any real impact on fish.
09-06-2018, 02:01 PM
slowbite

I attended the meeting at the Litton Center and am totally in favor of the regulation changes. The meeting was very well done and the facts presented absolutely support the code adjustments proposed. If approval is granted it will be interesting to see if fishermen will see the vital importance of their role in what is trying to be accomplished. This will work if and only if a substantial number of the under 9 inch crappie (Particularly black crappie under 9) are kept when caught and not returned to the lake. I plan on having a lot of crappie to eat at my house. A big thank you to Eric and all others that made this meeting possible.
09-06-2018, 03:11 PM
wolfhnd

I plan on putting the under 9" whites back.
09-11-2018, 08:40 AM
Joedog

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfhnd

I plan on putting the under 9" whites back.

I'm planning on putting any fish over 9" back.
09-11-2018, 12:54 PM
keeferfish

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfhnd

I plan on putting the under 9" whites back.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joedog

I'm planning on putting any fish over 9" back.

You two must be smarter than the MDC, maybe you should set the rules. :biggrin

Not much chance of anything working if everyone is going to circumvent the system. :scratchhead

Never mind, like Joe will ever catch a fish over 9”…… :Rofl
09-11-2018, 05:10 PM
Clownfish

1 Attachment(s)

Already getting ready for the "new reg crappie", picked up a filet knife today especially for the Ville. :Rofl Attachment 316121
09-11-2018, 09:07 PM
got crappie

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joedog

I'm planning on putting any fish over 9" back.

You don't catch anything over 9 inches
09-12-2018, 12:57 PM
keeferfish

1 Attachment(s)

Working on my new counter - Fish over 9 - Fish under 9 - Joes Fish Under 9 - Joe no fish over 9 - My Fish - his Fish :scratchhead:scratchhead:Doh:
09-12-2018, 01:14 PM
Joedog

Quote:

Originally Posted by keeferfish

Working on my new counter - Fish over 9 - Fish under 9 - Joes Fish Under 9 - Joe no fish over 9 - My Fish - his Fish :scratchhead:scratchhead:Doh:

Whites OVER 9", Whites UNDER 9", Fishes of color OVER 9", Fishes of color UNDER 9"
09-12-2018, 04:12 PM
wolfhnd

Sorry but if whites grow to 9" in three years to over 9" there is no reason to keep shorts. Eliminating the blacks that are doing poorly seems reasonable.
09-12-2018, 05:36 PM
Joedog

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfhnd

Eliminating the blacks that are doing poorly seems reasonable.

Where have I heard THAT before?!
09-12-2018, 05:55 PM
wolfhnd

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joedog

Where have I heard THAT before?!

Honestly I'm not very optimistic about the prospects of any urban reservoir the size size of Smithville being a great crappie fishing opportunity. Maybe I'm a pessimist by nature but based on comments by the biologist I feel we are trapped in a 20th century paradigm in 21st century. While catch and release worked for bass fishing the tendency of crappie to over populate and the demand for consumption are complications we don't have answers for.
11-05-2018, 08:19 PM
wolfhnd

Are the new regs a done thing or could something prevent them from being implemented in March 2019?
11-07-2018, 11:14 AM
MOfishmgr

I expect this to be approved by the Regulations Committee and our Commission. I haven't heard if that has occurred yet though. It will then be posted on the Secretary of State's webpage for public comments. The earliest it would go into effect would be March 1, 2019.

Ideally under this regulation folks will release the under 9" white crappie and concentrate harvest on the black crappie. The purpose is to remove slow growing fish. Those are the black crappie. There is quite a bit more meat on the shorter blacks than there is on the shorter whites so hopefully that will encourage people to keep the blacks and turn back the whites under 9".
11-07-2018, 11:31 AM
wolfhnd

I will keep a few blacks under 9" to do my part but I'm too lazy to clean 30 :-)
11-08-2018, 09:24 AM
Joedog

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfhnd

I will keep a few blacks under 9" to do my part but I'm too lazy to clean 30 :-)

No one says you have to clean 'em! Devil Icon